Willing Givers

As a parent I love to give gifts to my children.  The joy and excitement as they open and are surprised by a gift always bring a smile to my face.  But there are times, when I wish that I had never given the gift to them in the first place.  That time is when they are reluctant to share their gifts with someone else.  When they are greedy and poor managers of the gifts they receive it makes me reluctant to give them more gifts.

As a father, I want my children to be willing to share their Nintendo DSi.  For followers of Jesus, our heavenly Father wants us to be willing to share everything we own.  But how do we do that?  How do we train ourselves to be willing givers?

“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ” (2 Cor. 9:7, ESV)

One of the simplest steps we can take in learning to become willing givers is to choose to give 10% (called a tithe) as a starting point instead of a finish line when it comes to our kingdom investment.  In a previous post, I stated there is no requirement to tithe in the New Testament.   I want to take the opportunity to clarify what I mean by that statement.  In other words, Jesus did not come a say if you are a follower of mine you must give 10% of all your gross income to me.  But Jesus also does not do away with the idea of the tithe rendering it as no longer relevant.   

In Matthew 23, as Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for their religious hypocrisy he says, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. ” (Matt. 23:23, ESV) Note Jesus doesn’t tell them not to worry about the tithe and instead focus on justice, mercy, and faithfulness.  Instead he instructs them to not forget the tithe while they also practice justice, mercy, and faithfulness.

Former pastor and author Randy Alcorn writes; “Tithing is the toddler’s first steps toward stewardship.  It’s the training wheels on the bicycle of giving.  It’s not a homerun – but it gets you on base – which is a lot farther than many Christians ever get.” (Randy Alcorn; Money, Possessions, and Eternity; p. 194) 

Consider what impact it might have on your life to start viewing bringing the full 10% of your income to God as a starting point instead of a finish line.  Do you think the Father might want to bless you with more gifts?